Category: alcohol facts

WTF, Microplastics Are Now In BEER!

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WTF, Microplastics Are Now in Beer!

WTF! Microplastics are now in BEER!

What are microplastics, Dr. Wetbrain thought.

Well apparently, everything made these days are made with these tiny little plastic beads and everything of no use is thrown away as garbage which breaks down through time and turns back into these tiny plastic beads.

The microplastics are into the whole environment such as air, water, sea water and soil. We are all consuming this plastic for our survival, like eating and drinking. Also, wildlife is dealing with this human caused fate.

These nasty beads can cause in humans and animals a variety of cancers, digestive problems, defects to respiratory, reproductive and immune systems.

The microplastics were first detected in shellfish and other fish used for human consumption. Ends up that the average human ingests 11,000 plastic particles a year. WTF!

These tiny plastic beads are in everything we drink like bottled water, soda, juice drinks and BEER. Water is needed to grow and raise all we eat. Vegetables, fruits and grains all have plastic particles. So do poultry, pork and beef, which are eating the microplastic added grain. A tasty T-bone steak on the BBQ will have microplastic in it. So sad.

How do these microplastic beads get into the system?

These tiny 5mm plastic beads are sourced from discarded clothing, plastic bottles, cosmetics, paint and detergents along with tire wear and more, which all eventually gets back into our drinking water through sewers and water treatment plants. These beads still get through in the treatment plant even though ultraviolet lights, chlorine and micro filtering is used to prevent this.

WTF! Microplastics are now in BEER!

“Maybe that’s why my face looks so shiny,” Dr. Wetbrain thought after and acting like a robot.

Artificial Intelligence Changes Brewing Beer.

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Artificial Intelligence Changes Brewing Beer.

 

Artificial Intelligence is really getting into too much of our human lives. These days A.I. is involved in medicine, art, music and duplicating people’s image along with their voice and even bars. Scary!

And now A.I. is used to make great tasting beer by redesigning the recipe. Remember that a computer does not have taste buds! Also, with all the senses us humans have and the nonsenses that the internet has, would artificial intelligence make better tasting beer? Dr. Wetbrain had to investigate this crazy idea.

A.I. has a large data base on the beloved beer which links chemical data with sensory features to accurately predict a beer’s taste and smell, apparently.

Beer has basically 4 main ingredients of hops, yeast, grains and water. What I have seen is that A.I. beer brewing can predict how beer tastes from its chemical make up and then comes up with great recipe ideas, but the ingredient numbers are off. That’s where the human touch comes in to make the beer perfect. Otherwise, bad tasting, 2% beer.

KU Leuven Brewery in Belgium developed an artificial intelligent model which works with expert beer taster’s decisions, 180,000 public ratings and measurements of 226 chemical compounds. The end results still needed tweaking from their brew master.

Dalen Landis, owner of the Grain Bin Brewing Co. in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada wanted 100% A.I. made beer. Still, they needed staff to tweak the technology.

Vancouver Island Brewery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada wanted to do the same as Grain Bin. Yep! The internal brew master had to fix the brew.

Co-owner Alan Norman of Tire Shack Brewing Co. in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada used Chat GPT to come up with a recipe. Their new A.I. beer is called Garden Party, if you want to try it.

Dr. Wetbrain investigated further by tasting some of these A.I. beers and concluded that the extra human touch made a much better tasting beer. But I could see that beer with the new artificial intelligence is an interesting novelty to try. Human made beer is the best.

180,000 public reviews can be found on RateBeer.com

Check out ‘Eight Different Robotic Bartenders’.

I Cry For Whiskey and Rye.

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I Cry, For Whiskey and Rye.

I, Dr. Wetbrain, pledge a solemn oath to whiskey and rye. Rye and water are my favorite poisons. So, I know a little bit about whiskey and rye.

The word ‘whiskey’ comes from the Gaelic uisge beatha, meaning ‘lively water’ or ‘water of life’. Interesting to note how also the American Natives use to call whiskey ‘fire water’.

Whiskey, rye or bourbon are more of a European, American and Canadian made spirit compared to the rest of the world.

I very much enjoy a glass of whiskey or two, usually with two thirds of the glass with cold water added as mix to the rye. Mostly in movies, on the other hand, people will down about two ounces at once in a shot glass. Holly, cow! Must have been watered down.

Whiskey is made by distilling fermented barley, rye or wheat grain in large stills and then aged in charred wooden ‘aging’ barrels.

Difference between Whiskey and Rye. 

Whiskey is an American and Canadian based libation made with either wheat, corn, barley or many other grains.

Rye is a type of whiskey, made the same way, but with at least 51% rye mash.

Scotch is made from fermented barley.

Irish whiskey must ferment with added yeast. I’m sure that each distillery has their own tricks of the trade with the production of these spirits by using other additions and processes and aging times. No matter what, each finished product is like a piece of art. 

Bourbon is a whiskey which is fermented with at least 51% corn mash.

Brief History, On Whiskey

Whiskey’s distilling tricks of the trade were brought on by monks between 1100 – 1300 AD to Scotland and Ireland.

At one time beer made with barley was distilled into hard liquor. Medicine they all thought. Speaking of medicine, in the dirty thirties (Prohibition time), over a million gallons of whiskey was prescribed by dignified doctors to sufferers of many unique ailments.

In 1794 during the American Revolutionary War whiskey was used as currency for room and board, bullets, boots, etc.…

      Moonshine, white lightning, hooch is usually made by refining 100% corn mash and distilling this mash in a contraption called a ‘still’. Totally illegal to manufacture this moonshine in its time, production was done in secrecy.

This high proofed alcohol was in high demand during the prohibition era (1920 – 1933). During this era, the speakeasies bought moonshine and watered it down for more profits.

“Harold sounds dignified when he drinks whiskey, when I have seen others go snake crazy drinking this spirit”, Dr. Wetbrain remarks.

Toast History – Cheers!

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Toast History – Cheers!

   “‘Nats daroia’ Harold!”, Dr. Wetbrain yelled holding up his beer into the air. Harold stood up and clinked his beer with him and had a drink. Harold yelled ‘Napidabora’, trying to imitate the doctor.

“You said it wrong”, Dr. Wetbrain stated. Time for toasting ‘Cheers!’ history and language lessons.

Two people and a clink of a drink from their glasses, also a yell of ‘Cheers’ in honor of a toast perhaps at a wedding, a good business deal, an honor of congratulation or to a special person. “Here’s looking at you kid”, Humphrey Bogart to Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Clink!

Merriam-Webster dictionary has a great definition for a toast – A shout of hope, applause, or encouragement.

History of Cheers

   In the 1st century BC, the Roman Senate decreed to all to have a drink to the health of Emperor Augustus at every meal. Harold apparently tries to do this all the time.

The first recorded ‘Toast’ in England in the 12th century was by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He wrote that Renwien, daughter of British King Vortigern declared ‘Waes Hael’. Which meant good health. The Saxons continued the ‘Waes Hael’ toast every holiday with a bowl of wine. Awe the good old days.

Some thought the drinking toast began in ancient Greece, honor the Gods. Or there is the Medieval Ages where clinking 2 glasses one of them would spill some of its poison into the other glass. Mysterious murder perhaps. How sneaky!

The praise word ‘cheers’ was from the 18th century French ‘chiere’, meaning face or head, used to express happiness and encouragement.

Toasting Cheers! In different languages.    

   English – Cheers – Cheers! To your health, bottoms up.

Costa Rica – Pura Vida – poora vida – Cheers.

Filipino – Tagay – Ta gay – Drink.

Finnish – Kippis – kip piss.

German – Prost – prohst – Cheers!

Greek – Yamas – Ya mas – Good health.

Italian – Salute or Cin Cin – Cheen cheen – Cheers.

Japanese – Kanpai – Kan pie – Cheers or Empty the glass.

Mandarin – Ganbei – Gan bay – Cheers, dry cup or bottoms up.

North Korea – No cheers there! They don’t even drink or smile for that matter.

Portuguese – Saude – Saw oo de – to your health.

Russian – Nahz Drovia – Natz drovia – Cheers!

Spanish – Salud – sah lud – Good health.

Swedish – Skal – skawl – Cheers!

A personal drinking toast somehow brings people closer to each other. Cheers! Clink!

The Beer Bottle Saga.

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The Beer Bottle Saga.

sha.org/bottle/beer

Dr. Wetbrain was reminiscing one day while sipping on a beer bottle. His thought drifted to the “Stubbie’s”. Beer bottles never had a tall neck at one time. It was in the 1980’s when the tall neck became popular. Twist top cap bottles were already used in the 1960’s but never got popular till much later. Thanks to the tall neck bottles. I remember using lighters and seatbelts for stubby bottle openers. Seen people using boards and their eye socket to open beer bottles. What the??!

Commercial beer bottles started in the late 1600s but were not a big thing then. Even though carrying a case of glass bottled beer is better than walking down a cobble stoned street toting beer filled bowls or large covered steins in each hand. Noted that both would have been filled from a barrel spout.

In the late 1600s these new beer bottles were made with clear glass at first. But were soon realized buy the faithful guzzlers that the beer was sour, skunky tasting after sitting in the sun for a short spell. According to scientific research ultra-violet rays damage the acids found in the hops. Thus, the brown tinted bottles. Which were made to prevent the nasty UV rays from damaging the hops. No more skunks! Green beer bottles are made, but the UV protection is not as good as the brown bottles.

Since 1975 a Japanese company called Kirin Holdings tracked the global consumption of beer. 185 million Kiloliters in 2021. 74000 Olympic sized swimming pools. Dr. Wetbrain thought the numbers would be higher. Thank you Visualcapitalist.com for 2021 data on global beer consumption in different countries.

So let us talk about divots on the base or bottom of a beer bottle. I always thought that it was the number of how many times that bottle was recycled. Which does not make sense for the bottle is molded only once. These dots or ‘heel codes’ are for production equipment to read the size of the bottle. That’s it.

Unfortunately recycling bottles is a problem where more than 28 billion bottles annually do not get recycled. It’s good to know though that the average beer bottle gets reused 15 times in its life span with a strict process of inspection and sanitation.

Beer consumption has gone through a long history from covered Beer Steins to cardboard cases of 24 bottles of beer to carry home.

Does Powdered Alcohol Exist?

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Does Powdered Alcohol Exist?

 

   One day Dr. Wetbrain walked into the kitchen onto Harold putting into a glass of water a teaspoon of a powdered substance.

“What poison are you using Harold!” The doctor yelled.

“Seltzer. Upset stomach if you don’t mind!” Harold replied angrily.

“I thought it was powdered alcohol.” Wetbrain coyly remarked. Like we care.

Sato Foods

“Powdered Alcohol exists!?” Harold said with his eyes wide open.

Well Harold in 1966 Sato Foods from Japan created many powdered compounds of natural products such as vegetables and fruits. One great substance they created was powdered alcohol. Sato Foods technology for the processing patents was acquired in 17 countries. Now selling in the U.S.A.

Scottsdale, Arizona. Inventor Mark Phillips on March 10, 2015, received approval by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to sell Palcohol in the United States.

Palcohol is freeze-dried powdered alcohol produced as ready-made cocktail drinks such as margaritas, cosmopolitans, premium Vodka and Puerto Rican rum drinks.

The Lipsmark Co. sell this product in foil pouches made like drinking glasses where the drink you have sat on the table upright perfectly.

Just pour in 5 ounces of water, zip the pouch closed, shake like hell till powder dissolves. A perfect margarita. Unzip the pouch and enjoy.

Sure, they have whipped cream with alcohol, caffeinated and chocolate alcohol. Unfortunately, Palcohol was condemned by the media. Apparently, this powdered alcohol was experimented on by snorting the powder like cocaine by certain individuals. No noted facts but I’m sure someone tried. Of course, the teenagers might find the bright packages too appealing. Plus, you can sneak these little pouches into events and venues. That charge should be good for a year or 2 in jail.

So, you can still purchase this powdered alcohol in some of the U.S. states like Washington, Alaska and Colorado and a few others. The other states banned Palcohol. What the…?

So now you know that Powdered Alcohol does exist. What a great idea Harold thought as he was checking out Amazon for a delivery. Just cocktail powdered mix available at Amazon if you must know. Cheers!

9 Very Spooky Halloween Drinks.

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Portrait of a vampire.

9 Very Spooky Halloween Drinks.

Dr. Wetbrain, snickering, walked into the dining room where Harold was sitting.

“So, I see you have your Halloween costume on.” Wetbrain jokingly said for Harold looks like he always does.

“So, I see you have yours on also!” Harold replied with a grin.

“Let’s get the party started with some spooky Halloween drinks. So, this year do you want to be the werewolf or vampire?” The doctor asked.

This year if you want to be a vampire for Halloween and want human blood in your cocktail. May I mention that drinking human blood can make you sick by inviting viruses into your body such as Hepatitis and HIV.

Pig’s Blood on the other hand would work out as a much safer cocktail ingredient even for vampires.

Werewolves of London   By –  Drinking in America.com

– 2 oz. of Dry gin

– 1 oz. of Pimm’s No. 1 (A gin liqueur)

– 2 oz. of Pineapple juice

– coconut syrup

– Small amount of Pig’s Blood.

 

Bloody Mary

Since the 1970’s young teenage girls would challenge the ‘Bloody Mary Game’ by going into a washroom with a lit candle. Then look into a mirror and say Bloody Mary 3 times. Eventually drops of blood would appear in the mirror on the first 2 sessions. On the third Bloody Mary incantation a ghostly apparition will appear.

One of the theories of who this ghastly apparition is a Hungarian Countess named Elizabeth Bathory “Queen of Blood”. In the early 1600s she was convicted of murdering 650 young girls so she can bathe in their blood. A type of skin treatment at the time.

 

Bloody Mary – The Cocktail.  By –  A Couple Cooks

   – 2 oz. Vodka

– 4 oz. Tomato Juice

– Dash of Lemon Juice

– 2 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

– 2 dashes of Tabasco Sauce

– Celery Salt to Rim the Glass

– 2 tbs. of Horseradish

 

 

Vampires Kiss.  By –  A Couple Cooks

–  Vodka

–  Chambord – A popular raspberry liqueur

–  100% Cranberry Juice

–  A little Lemon Juice

–  Grenadine

–  Dry ice for effects.

 

Nightmare On Bourbon Street.

   Recipe – Half Baked Harvest   By – Cosmopolitan

   – Rim a cocktail glass with cinnamon sugar.

– In a shaker with ice combine…

– 1 & 1/2 oz. of Bourbon

– ¼ cup of Apple Cider

– 1 oz of Lemon Juice

– Few tbs. of Maple Syrup

– Hint of Ginger and Cinnamon

– Shake

– Pour into Rimmed Cocktail Glass

– Top with Splash of Sparkling Apple Cider

 

Classic Zombie   By – A Couple Cooks

Warning! This is a strong drink in a large glass.

– 1.5 oz. Of White Rum

– 1.5 oz. Of Spiced Rum

– 1.5 oz. Of Dark Rum or Go Dangerous, 151 Proof Rum

– ¾ oz. Of Lime Juice

– Dash of Lemon Juice

– ½ oz. Of Pineapple Juice

– ½ oz. Of Passion Fruit Syrup

– Dash of Orange Bitters

– 1 Tbs. Of Grenadine

 

 

Witch’s Brew Lemonade    Recipe – Delish     By – Cosmopolitan

Shakespeare: Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and caldron bubble.

– Fill tall glass with ice

– 2 oz. Of Gin

– 2 oz. Of Sparkling Lemonade

– 2 oz. Slow Pour of Blue Curacao, Let Settle to Bottom of Glass

 

Zombie Brain Shot   By – Homemade Hooplah

– In a shot glass, 1 oz. of Peach Schnapps

– Gently layer 1oz. of Bailey’s or any other Irish Cream

– Carefully add a couple drops of Grenadine

This small drink becomes a creepy Zombie Brain Effect.

 

Corpse Reviver #2   By – A Couple Cooks

– In a medium drinking glass with some ice.

– ¾ oz. Of Gin

– ¾ oz. Of Lemon Juice

– ¾ oz. Of Cointreau

– ¾ oz. Of Dry Vermouth

– Splash Of Absinthe

 

Poison Apple   By – Jillian Harris

– Fill shaker with crushed ice

– Add 2 oz. Vodka

– 2 oz. Cranberry – Apple Juice

– 1 oz. Pomegranate Juice

– Shake, pour into tall glass.

 

Harold finally replied to Dr. Wetbrains question. “Ok, I will be the vampire this time. But NO blood drinks! Unless it’s your blood Wetbrain.” Harold gave an evil snicker.

Climate Change and the Beer Shortage.

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Climate Change and the Beer Shortage.

 

“Harold you are spilling out a 1/8th of a bottle of beer! What are you doing? That’s alcohol abuse.” Dr. Wetbrain yelled.

“Spit, backwash”, Harold remarked.

“That’s no excuse. Don’t you know a beer shortage is coming thanks to climate change?” Wetbrain concluded.

Sure, the barley crop was plentiful at one time until the climate change effect came into view. Drought and heat waves are the main culprits in depleting the barley harvest. Droughts, heat waves, floods, hailstorms, grasshoppers’ migration, wildfires (smoke) all have contributing factors to climate change and the production of the most popular alcohol drink – BEER.

Severe droughts and heatwaves were highly hit in North America, UK and China. Other worst hit territories include Belgium, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Ireland.

Beer loving Ireland could triple on beer prices soon. Yikes!

All natural products like chocolate, coffee, wine and now Beer are all effected by climate change.

Sadly, Barley is one of the most heat-sensitive crops globally. What timing!

20% of barley goes to Beer. Most barley goes to feed livestock like cows and pigs. So, BBQing with a cold beer is contradicting each other. Funny!

Lots of other Barley hinderance is blamed on distribution, also the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Putin!!!

Two years ago, Ukraine produced 10 million tons of barley, only 6 million these days. Putin blowing up poor farmers fields, plus the droughts, plus shutting down ship movement in the Black Sea made a great decline in their barley distribution.

It did not help that in the middle of July 2023 Russia bombed the port city of Ukraine in Odesa destroying 60,000 tons of wheat and barley.

Oktoberfest in Munich Germany which hosts 7 million thirsty visitors will suffer from the fate of beer. Thank you climate change.

Eventually we will be paying double to triple the price for our beloved beer. Talk about inflation.

“Got that Harold! Cherish what we have. No more spilling out ‘spit, backwash and beer‘.”

Dr. Wetbrain’s Sake Story.

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Dr. Wetbrain’s Sake Story.      

 

Dr. Wetbrain says that he never tried Sake. But tasting this libation is on his bucket list. “Now I must make a trip to Japan”, he would conclude. Of course, Dr. Wetbrain knows a thing or two about Sake.

        Sake is a Japanese wine that is made by fermenting polished rice. Even though Sake is considered a wine the brewing process is more like making beer.

Wine has an alcohol content of 9 – 18%; beer 3 – 9%; Sake 18 – 20%; whiskey 35 – 40%; moonshine has lots of percentage.

 

Sake History

The first recorded history of Sake was in the Nara period (710 – 794AD) Much Sake brewing was done in the temples of Nara by monks who were known as Sobo-shu. The monks used Sake as an offering to cleanse their temple through taking shots with religious ceremonies.

From the Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046BC) bones were found with the note of alcohol beverages scrawled upon them. Who knows, maybe Sake. That was over 3000 years ago.

At one point in Japan a kuchi-kami Sake was brewed by the rice being chewed up by beautiful virgin girls and then spit into a large vat.

Dr. Wetbrain thought, “I think if this process was done by Sumo wrestlers the appeal would not be the same.”

The Japanese place a very high value on this special beverage, just look at their artfully crafted and decorated cups, china and wooden containers all dedicated to Sake and sometimes tea.

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

Sake Cup, 17th Century from Metmuseum.org

In fact, the Japanese pilots who went on a bombing mission to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 all had a drink of Sake from a ceremonial cup before taking off.

“A flask or two of this drink would be coming with me on this mission.” Thank you Dr. Wetbrain for that input.